Have you ever been faced with a situation where you have to choose between the lesser of two evils? Most people would probably say yes. I mean, at some point in our lives, each one of us has had to face making a decision where neither of the choices before us truly cuts the mustard.
I'm facing one of those decisions right now. While it's not life or death, it's one that will certainly determine my path for the time being...
Do I stay with the small publisher I have, or do I table everything and look for an agent...or do I self publish?
I'm staring at a contract with my current publisher for my new book, Blood Legacy, due out on September 30Th. It's for five years. Most people would say..."That's great! Congrats." Except I'm not feeling too great about it at the moment.
The publisher in question had been around for just a little over a year. And they've done pretty well with just a few quality titles. I took an initial leap of faith and gave them a chance when they were only weeks old, and my first book sold over 500 copies during the year. While I know that's not a whole hell of a lot in the grand scheme of things, it's a lot for a small pubbed author. Problem is, the publisher is floundering. In this industry, and in this economic climate, it's not an unusual occurrence. So...do I hold my breath and sign, or do I put everything on the back burner and start from scratch?
I shudder at the thought of self publishing. Not because I think it's less than...I don't...I just know I don't have the wherewithal to do the marketing necessary to make it a success.
The whole publishing industry is in a conundrum, and I'm sure I'm not the only author to face this situation. Flux is never a good state, and with small, independent publishers popping up like weeds everywhere, what is an author to do. I've been lucky so far, but does one leap of faith deserve another?
Five years is a long time to hold one's breath, and the clock is ticking...literally.
Marianne Morea
What a hard decision to face! Do they need your answer immediately or do you have time to look into other markets, query a few agents?
ReplyDeleteIf you do sign, make sure the contract states that if they go under, ALL rights to the MS revert back to you. Then you can start looking for an agent for your next book. :)
Maybe try a small publisher that's been around longer and has a known reputation. Self-pubbing takes time, but can be done...but you need lots of social networking/promo outlets.
ReplyDelete